Sealing means for refrigerator car doors



15, 1961 w. A. BEAUCHAMP 2,995,786

SEALING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CAR DOORS Filed Aug. 15, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1961 w. A. BEAUCHAMP 2,995,786

SEALING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CAR DOORS Filed Aug. 15, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -//V I/E IV 70/8 Mmaw 6% 5QUCHQMR Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 15, 1955, Ser. No. 528,397 Claims. (Cl. 2035) This invention relates to sealing means for refrigerator car doors and more particularly to sliding flush doors for such cars.

It is common practice in providing a seal for the marginal edges of refrigerator car doors which embody wooden stiles and rails to utilize sponge rubber sealing strips and canvas. The sponge rubber strips are semicylindrical in section and are secured to the stiles and rails and protected by the canvas strips which cover them and which are nailed to the wooden stiles and rails.

Sealing means of this type is not satisfactory. In the procedure of fastening the canvas strips they are nailed along one edge to the stiles and rails, drawn securely across the sponge rubber sealing strips and then nailed along the other edge to the stiles and rails. In this procedure it is impossible to employ equal pressures at all points where the canvas strips are drawn across the sponge rubber strips with the result that the sponge rubber strips are depressed more in some areas than in others. The unevenness of this type of sealing means adversely affects its sealing quality so that a loss of refrigeration may occur. Moreover, a very large number of nails is required to secure the canvas strips and the driving of the nails is time-consuming and adds to the cost of the doors.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide non-metallic sealing means for refrigerator car doors which while being adapted for securement by means of nails or the like will remedy the difiiculties noted hereinabove.

A further object is to provide sealing means for refrigerator car doors which shall be capable of production by an extrusion process and which shall be formed of rubber or the like.

A further object is to provide sealing means for refrigerator car doors which shall be formed of rubber or the like and carry nailing flanges for the securement of the sealing means and of such structure that the number of nails required for securement can be substantially reduced.

A further object is to provide sealing means for refrigerator car doors which shall be formed of rubber or the like and of such construction as to insure proper disposition upon the doors.

A further object is to provide sealing means for refrigerator car doors which shall be formed of rubber or the like and carry nailing flanges for the secu'rement of the sealing means and of such structure that the sealing means can flow readily when subjected to compression.

A further object is to provide doors for refrigerator cars embodying wooden stiles and rails and sealing means of the character noted above so constructed and associated with the stiles and rails that non-intentional withdrawal of securing nails or tearing of the nailing flanges provided on the sealing means is prevented.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a refrigerator car equipped with a sliding flush door to which is applied sealing means embodying the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

nited States Patent O Patented Aug. 15, 1961 ice vFIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section of the sealing means embodying the instant invention.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a portion of one of the side walls of a refrigerator car. The side wall is formed with a door opening 11 which is adapted to. be closed by a sliding flush door 12. In general the door embodies an outer metallic panel 13 to which the vertical and horizontal metallic marginal frame members are secured as by means of rivets 14. One of the vertical metallic frame members is shown at 15, it being understood that the other vertical metallic framing member is similar in construction to the one illustrated but is oppositely disposed. The upper horizontal frame member is designated by the numeral 16 and the lower horizontal frame member by the numeral 17.

Wooden stiles and rails are secured to the metallic marginal frame members. The stiles are similar in construction but oppositely disposed. As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the stile 18 is formed of two wooden timbers 19 and 20 secured to the framing member 15 by means of bolts 21 and 22 welded to the framing member. The upper rail is designated by the reference numeral 23 and is similarly formed of two wooden timbers 24 and 25 secured to the marginal frame member 16 by similar bolts 26 and 27. The lower rail is designated by the reference numeral 28 and is also formed of two wooden timbers 29 and 30 secured to the marginal frame member 17 by means of bolts 31 and 32.

The wooden timber 20 of the stile 18, the similar timber on the oppositely disposed stile, as well as the wooden timbers 25 and 30 of the upper and lower rails 23 and 28 are formed with a groove 33 which extends continuously around the wooden stiles and rails. This groove, as is clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, is disposed so that it is remote from the outer edge of the stiles and rails. The purpose of this groove as well as the rabbeted portion 34 which is preferably formed in the outer edges of the stiles and rails so as to extend continuously around these members will be explained hereinafter.

The door is adapted to be supported for longitudinal movement along the outside of the carside by means of a plate track 35 which is secured to the member 3'6 of the car underframe by means of a plurality of track brackets 37. Support for the door upon the track is provided by means of double roller hangers 38. The manner of supporting the door upon these hangers is illustrated and described in the patent to Beauchamp, 2,658,243 granted November 10, 1953, incorporated herein by reference. The door is adapted to be forced into the door opening so as to lie flush with the inside and outside of the car wall by means of the mechanism illustrated and described in the patent above identified.

In order toprevent loss of refrigeration from the car, sealing means is provided for the margins of the door. As the door is forced into the door opening the sealing means. is adapted to engageframing members on the car side around the door opening 11 so as to be compressed and provide a tight seal for the door. This is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.

In accordance with the instant invention an extruded rubber or the like sealing strip 39 is provided. As is clearly illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings, this sealing strip which is formed into a rectangular shape in order to fit around the marginal portion of the rectangularly arranged stiles and rails comprises a substantially semiannular body portion 40. A shoulder 41 extends inwardly from substantially the lower edge of one side of the body portion. From this edge a nailing flange 42. extends downwardly. An upwardly extending nailing flange 43 is provided on the other side of the body portion 40 and 1's connected'thereto by a narrow rib 44 which preferably terminates above the lower edge of the body portion 40 so as to provide a groove 45.

As noted above the sealing strip 39 is formed into a rectangular shape which is preferably so dimensioned relative to the door that it is necessary to stretch the sealing strip both in width and length in order to position it upon the door. The disposition of the rubber sealing strip upon the door is facilitated by the continuously extending groove 33 formed in the stiles and rails and by the shoulder 41. The contact of the shoulder 41 with the stiles and rails and the contact of the opposite edge of the body portion 40 and the lower edge of the nailing flange 43 with the bottom of the groove 33 insures proper disposition of the sealing strip upon the door. Moreover, the shoulder 41 acts to offer the same resistance to compression of the sealing strip as does the portion of the sealing strip which is seated within the groove 33. Thus this construction of the sealing strip not only facilitates its proper location upon the stiles and rails but also insures that full compression of the sealing strip will be obtained around the door when the door is forced into the door opening. When the sealing strip has been properly positioned upon the door, nails 46 and 47 are driven through the securing flanges 42 and 43 thereby adequately fastening the sealing strip upon the door. Because of its construction far fewer nails are required than have been found to be necessary in securing the sponge rubber and canvas sealing strips heretofore used. The rabbeted portion 34 provided around the outer. edges of the stiles and rails permits the attaching flange 42 to lie within the outer edges of the door.

It will be observed from FIG. 4 of the drawings, for example, that the compression to which the sealing strip is subjected when the door is closed is resisted partially by the inwardly directed shoulder 41. As a result of this construction, therefore, the securing nails 46 are relieved .of the stresses set up by this compression so that accidental withdrawal of the nails or tearing of the attaching flange is prevented. This same effect is obtained .on the other side of the sealing strip by means of its engagement with the bottom of the groove 33 so that accidental pulling out of the nails 47 or tearing of the attaching flange 43 is prevented. Moreover, the connection of the attaching flange 43 to the body portion 40 of the sea-ling strip provides space between this attaching flange and the body portion and in the groove 45 permitting the sealing strip when under compression to flow into these spaces. This accomplishment together with the flexibility which the mode of connection between the attaching flange 43 and the body portion 40 obtains also serves-to prevent pulling out of the nails 47 or tearing of the attaching flange 43. This salutary result is also insured by the groove 33 which through its engagement with the lower edge of the body portion of the sealing strip adjacent I claim:

1. A sliding flush insulated door for refrigerator cars comprising wooden stiles and rails of ofiset construction, a continuously extending groove formed in the offset portions of said stiles and rails remote from the outer edges thereof, and a continuously extending extruded rubber sealing strip disposed upon said offset portions of said stiles and rails, said sealing strip having a body of substantially semi-annular cross section, a shoulder extending inwardly from one side of said body and bearing upon said ofiset portions of said stiles and rails in spaced relationship to said groove, a nailing flange extending downwardly from said body adjacent to and outwardly of said shoulder and bearing against the outer edges of said stiles and rails, an upwardly extending nailing flange spaced from the opposite side of said body, and a rib connecting said latter nailing flange to said body, the lower portion of said opposite side of said body and said latter nailing flange being seated in said groove.

2. An extruded rubber sealing strip for sliding flush insulated doors for refrigerator cars comprising a body of substantially semi-annular cross section, a shoulder extending inwardly from the lower portion of said body at one side thereof, a nailing flange extending downwardly from said body adjacent to and outwardly of said shoulder, an upwardly extending nailing flange spaced outwardly from the opposite side of said body, and a rib connecting said latter flange to the lower portion of said body.

3. An extruded rubber sealing strip for sliding flush insulated doors for refrigerator cars comprising a body of substantially semi-annular cross section, a shoulder extending inwardly from the lower portion of said body at one side thereof, a nailing flange extending downwardly from said body adjacent to and outwardly of said shoulder, an upwardly extending nailing flange spaced outwardly from the opposite side of said body, and a rib connecting said latter flange to the lower portion of said body, said rib terminating above the lower edges of said opposite side of said body and said latter nailing flange.

4. A rubber sealing strip for sliding flush insulated doors for refrigerator cars comprising a body of substantially semi-annular cross section, a shoulder extending inwardly from the lower portion of said body at one side thereof, a nailing flange extending downwardly from said body adjacent to and outwardly of said shoulder, .and a nailing flange extending outwardly from said lower portion of said body at the opposite side thereof.

5. A rubber sealing strip for sliding flush insulated doors for refrigerator cars comprising a body of substantially semi-annular cross section, a shoulder extending inwardly from the lower portion of said body at one side thereof, a nailing flange extending downwardly from said body adjacent to and outwardly of said shoulder, and a readily accessible nailing flange on said lower portion of said body on the opposite side thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,959,705 Christianson May 22., 1934 2,041,946 Nave May 26, 1936 2,180,177 Ternstrom Nov. 14, 1939 2,575,094 Chamberlain Nov. 13, 1951 2,605,515 Beau'champ Aug. 5, 1952 

